Orisa and Kanai were sitting by the campfire just outside the tunnel, enjoying the fire and each other's company. They woke up the next morning after the battle and had gone through a lengthy talk about the happenings of the previous evening before going outside to witness it with their own eyes. After a shocking observation, they began with their morning routine while Orisa was going through the revelation from the ghost.
"Are you sure you can talk about it?" asked Kanai worriedly.
"Well, he didn't warn me or anything. Assuming it's that important, he would have warned me beforehand."
"Oh, are we assuming his gender now?"
"God, no, please, not in this world!" Orisa groaned. "Okay, let's call it the ghost from now on."
"How much of its speech do you believe?" he asked a bit later.
"Judging by your tone, 'everything' isn't the answer you are waiting for?"
"Think critically, moron Satoru! What if it was some kind of on-death ability of the kitten to lure you into a trap or stall your advance? It didn't say anything you didn't know before or didn't guess and suspect before, right? We knew about these five strange spots that attract Beasts. Was there something new in his words?"
"Well," Orisa furrowed her brows and recalled the speech, "it said that I'd need some special knowledge to understand the information contained there. It also mentioned you, our time limit, and other information that nobody should know."
"Exactly! It fits perfectly into a simple memory-reading technique, especially after you take into account that it imprinted the dialogue into your memory. The rest of the information is well within your guessing capabilities, too."
"Okay, you may be right, but it changes nothing. We planned to get there anyway," Orisa pouted, unhappy with Kanai's criticism.
"Urgh, right. So, ultimately, it was for nothing?"
"Except for the fact that we are alive?" she chuckled.
"What's our destination, then?"
"Considering we need to resupply, fix our gear, and rest at least a bit, let's study the map and Rita's book first. I'm hoping for a nice little village in the neck of the woods."
By the end of the study session, they found a village mentioned in Rita's resort guide as a secluded resting spot for weary travelers. Around five days of hiking awaited them, so the pair began the preparations.
While inspecting and packing her bag, Orisa stumbled onto the vas Kavenfenn ring that Tiana's maid Maria Pestoni gave her as a token of gratitude. Her mood immediately plummeted after remembering her friend and a sore state of hers. That, in turn, made Orisa remember her secondary goal - vengeance. Not wanting to forget it even for a second, she made a simple rope from several threads and put the ring on her neck. 'We'll meet again, my dear.'
Among other things, Orisa also prepared several cores and tucked them into her pants. For her, quick access to high-caliber ammo and a Concentrated state seemed appealing enough to bother with a holster for crystals.
They were ready to depart after lunch and stood in front of the tunnel's entrance. Two ragged fighters equipped with large backpacks were paying a silent tribute to the cave of death and mass murder. In the end, Orisa bowed and muttered with a grin:
"Thank you for the exp, Cave-san. It was delicious. Be well."
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"I think you'll like it, dude!"
Excited, Kanai was practically dancing in front of Orisa. She sat under a large tree, killing time with a book until his return from a recon trip to the village.
"There is no garrison or Military here, only self-appointed guards. Of course, no wanted board either!" he continued happily. "Come on, get your ass up, and start moving."
"Have you seen a place where we can drop?" Orisa asked, adjusting Tiana's ring on her neck. For the past three days, it had turned warm or cold several times. The strange behavior of the item Orisa shrugged off as a reaction to local Mana patterns.
"Of course, of course! There is an inn with everything we need. Oooh, you won't believe it, yay!"
And Kanai didn't lie or betray her expectations. The village stood on a hill, surrounded by a dense forest. It was one of those spots that Beasts ignored for some reason, allowing the villagers to maintain the lowest level of security. The Military didn't bother to create a garrison here in the middle of nowhere since there was no need to protect people and no strategic reason to station soldiers as well.
After safely passing the improvised guarding post at the entrance to the village, Kanai confidently led Orisa towards a white three-story building. It looked way better than Orisa would expect from a village in the middle of nowhere, but she soon understood the reason.
"Welcome to the Rejuvenation Heaven. How can I, um, help you?" a perfect example of a clerk in a white dress greeted them from behind the counter, flinching from the look of the pair only for a fleeting moment.
That was when Orisa finally recalled why this village was famous and prospering despite its location. The sole driving factor of this place was a renown spa resort with a long-standing tradition of high-quality masseurs passing their knowledge and skill between generations.
Unlike the settlement itself, the inn was well-protected to ensure its customers' peace. Four guards were eyeing the suspicious and ragged pair warily, so Kanai pulled his tag and waved it in front of the receptionist:
"A room for me and my partner. We are dying from a long expedition, so get us the best service there is," he said confidently.
"As you wish, sir," the clerk bowed slightly after witnessing his tag. Her reaction was quite tame compared to other people witnessing The Hounds division since this establishment was well-known and attracted various people from different positions, including top squads and ranks. "There is only one room suitable for your request at the moment, sir. It will be five mids for one night per person and includes our full course."
Orisa coughed inwardly upon hearing the price that was a hundred times higher than a common inn. 'Almost a week's salary for one night? I'm expecting virgin catgirls to serve me ambrosia tonight.'
A servant appeared from a side room and offered to take their luggage to the apartment while also showing them the way. For some reason, he was unable to move even a single backpack and hastily apologized to the giggling Orisa and Kanai before leading the way to the third floor.
Their lodging was wide and well-decorated by the standards of this world: a thick carpet covered the floor; every window was dressed in massive curtains; several paintings occupied the walls. Three doors led to a wardrobe, toilet, and bathroom, respectively. And in the farthest corner of the room stood The Bed since this enormous bedstead with purple and red draping, giant pillows, and three layers of blankets could not be called anything else.
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Orisa chuckled, expecting Kanai's reaction, but he just groaned and went to drop his backpack. The servant gave them a pair of keys and retreated.
"Let's take a shower first, then eat and take their course. You can go first," Kanai said.
"Nah, you should go first. I need to check something," Orisa replied and began to unpack.
Kanai first opened vents in the shower and poured a random soap, then began to undress. Curious, laughing Orisa turned to him and asked:
"I thought you'd still be shy and uncomfortable with getting naked."
"Well, it's not like you are staring at my body," answered Kanai indifferently. "If anything, It feels more like a character in a virtual MMO. Plus, now that I know about you..."
"Aww, so sweet. I love you, too!" Orisa jumped on her feet and rushed to hug a bright-red and mostly-naked Kanai.
"Oh, would you stop already?" he pushed Orisa away and went into the bathroom.
Orisa had waited for a suitable amount of time to make sure her plan would succeed before bursting into the shower completely bare. Kanai was seemingly sleeping at the moment, but her entrance didn't startle him. Without opening his eyes, the boy muttered:
"You are so predictable in your futile attempts to make everything harder and more complicated."
Luckily, the bathtub was big enough to let two people lay without getting in each other's way too much, so Orisa's landing only pushed some water and bubbles beyond its edge, making Kanai groan again:
"Is there really any point in doing all this?"
"I don't know and all set on finding out!" she laughed and shot a water pistol at him.
"Are you for real? Satoru, how fucking old are you? Four?"
"Oh, don't be like that," Orisa grabbed Kanai's cheeks and pinched them with both hands before submerging into the water. When she opened her mouth again a bit later, her voice sounded more serious: "Honestly, I just want to be closer to you, even closer than now, but don't know how to do it without, you know, being grossed out."
"Um, yes, sorry..." Kanai's cheeks got redder as he turned his head away.
Twenty minutes had passed in complete silence, brimming with relaxation and pleasure. The hot bath was among their top three wishes during the trip into the wilds, and now they thoroughly indulged.
"Want me to help you with your back?" asked Orisa lazily.
"If you promise not to do anything stupid," Kanai sounded even more relaxed.
As it turned out, the procedures were all booked as well, so the pair had waited for another two hours before being finally admitted to a small room with two massage beds separated with a white private screen. The staff consisted of thirty years old twin ladies who greeted Orisa and Kanai with slightly forced but still bright smiles:
"Dear customers, we are happy to see you here."
"Please, get ready for forty-five minutes of pleasure and relaxation."
"You don't need to ask twice," chuckled Orisa and went to the left table.
Kanai followed her example and settled on the right bed, his silhouette visible through the screen.
"Please, remove your bathrobes and lay face down on the table," the twins said in unison.
The following thirty minutes were filled with similar sounds and yelps:
"Haaah..."
"Urgh..."
"Ohhh..."
"Eeeh!"
"Umph..."
"Ouu..."
"Please, turn on your back now," the ladies commanded.
"Um, I, uh, not sure I like the idea," Kanai muttered uncomfortably.
"Oh, dear customer, don't worry, your body's reaction is perfectly fine and rather healthy. There is nothing to be shy about, I assure you. If you would like, we can provide an additional service for you and your lady for a separate fee."
"No-no, thank you, that's plenty already," he protested, turning on his back.
"Just look at you," Orisa chuckled with a wide grin. "You said it wasn't your body only several hours ago, and now you are all shy and cute."
"Oh, fuck off, pretty please!?" he shouted angrily.
"What about lady, then?" another twin asked Orisa.
"Hmm, I'll need to think about it, but I might find you later on today," she answered with an even bigger grin.
"Don't you even dare, you hear me!?" threatened her Kanai, causing Orisa to burst into laughter.
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"How can I help you, sir?" the clerk at the reception desk asked Kanai two hours later.
"If possible, I'd like to ask for directions. We are looking for a place to repair our gear." They knew the basics of the repairs, but their gear was beyond that level, damaged and worn out too much for the pair's skills.
"Of course. I can direct you to a shop, but if I may, a skilled craftsman is staying with us at the moment. His service will be of much higher quality, although the fee isn't low either. If you'd like, I can request for his assistance. He may be interested in tending to such a renowned division, I think."
Kanai and Orisa gave each other a puzzled look.
"If it's not too much, we would love to meet him," Orisa answered, adjusting a rather warm ring on her neck.
"Most certainly. Please, wait here."
Ten minutes later, they were led to an apartment on the second floor. Inside, a short burly man with gray hair sat on a comfortable chair, calmly stroking his beard tied into a knot. He stared at the guests, carefully studying them both, although Orisa garnered noticeably more attention than Kanai.
As the clerk closed the door behind them, the craftsman began in an even and slow voice:
"Greetings, hounds. Name's Kouhito. I was informed of your desire to engage my service." His tone didn't leave them any spot for introduction. "You must understand that both my vacation and business time are rather limited. Thus, I most certainly would have declined your request regardless of the price you were willing to pay. That is unless you have of interest to me, young warriors?"
The pair exchanged worried looks while Kouhito kept staring at Orisa, occasionally switching his gaze to Kanai.
"While the majority of our gear is quite bland and common, we have several items that might pique your interest, master Kouhito," Orisa carefully said and then proceeded to describe her gloves, wrist protectors, and other items of the slightest interest.
"I can take a look at your stock, but do not expect me to work on mundane things. If I deem some or most of your gear well within the capacity of a common worker, I'll skip it. There is no point in wasting my time on something you can fix in the nearby barn."
"We most certainly don't mind this, sir. Indeed, little sense in using a needle where a nail would suffice," Orisa hastily agreed.
"Trying to win me with words, woman? You are fifty years too young to negotiate, so don't even try. But I'll give you one bonus mark for an attempt."
"One out of five?"
"Out of a hundred, of course."
They spent the next hour sifting through the gear and splitting it into two piles. The smallest went into master Kouhito's room while the rest was transported to the nearest workshop by the inn's staff.
"The gear should be ready by tomorrow's midday," he said after taking an astronomical twenty mids for the service. "You are free to leave. I'll ask the servant to fetch you when I'm ready."
Together, the three of them went down to the front desk, where Orisa and Kanai bid their farewell and left to check the workshop and other stores, while Kouhito asked the clerk behind the counter to assist with sending several business letters to his clients.
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The promised time has arrived, and the pair got their gear back as good as new. It was completely repaired, cleaned, and polished to a shine.
"Thank you so much, master Kouhito! I can see every coin paid in this gear. A masterful work," Orisa said in excitement.
"No need for that, girl. I had my share of fun studying these wristguards of yours. What are your plans for today? When do you plan to leave? Maybe we can go together if the destination and the schedule are the same."
"It's a good question, sir," she turned to Kanai with a questioning gaze. "Probably today, I guess?"
"A shame, truly. I would advise taking another day of rest. You two looked a tad bit unhealthy yesterday. Although, not my business. Farewell."
When they got to their apartment, Orisa stared at Kanai with a pleading gaze:
"Let's stay another day, please?"
"Um, it's not like I'm against it, but are you sure? Is it really safe for us to laze around?"
"I think so, dude. I mean, there are no guards here, and nobody should know about me anyway. Also, how much time has passed since my escape, two months or so?"
"Well, Satoru, if you are sure..."
"Please, pretty please? Let's hit the massage once more! And I want another bath, or maybe even two of them. Oh, and this fried meat was great, too!"
"Okay-okay, stop it! You are drooling already, gosh."
And so, another day passed with them lazing around, indulging in various spa activities, overeating, and almost comfortably sleeping in the same bed again. A completely refreshed pair of youngsters were ready to leave by the next morning, standing by the counter and filing papers.
"Kanai, I'll wait outside," Orisa dropped all the boring stuff on him, bowed to the clerk, and went outside, adjusting the now hot ring on her neck.
When the door behind her back closed, she heard a rather cocky voice to her right:
"Don't move even a single finger, trash. But please, I beg you, I dare you, try to resist. I was told you are one fun thing."
Seven more people were standing with their weapons ready in front of a vehicle that was still hot from severe overuse. They were here because of her.